Coin-controlled game apparatus



N O M 0 D E L.

G. MOILITOR. G01N CONTROLLBD GAME APPARATUS'. IIIIIIIIIIIII LBVD JAN.13, 1903.

lull llll A uullllll PATBNTBD JAN. 12, 1904.4

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PATENTED JAN. l2., 1904.

` G. MOLITOR. G01N GONTROLLED GAME APPARATUS. l

APPLIUA-TION FILED JAN. 13, 1903.

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UNITED STATES latented January 12, 1904.

CHARLES MOLITOR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COIN-CONTROLLED GAME APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. r749,698, dated January12, 1904.

Application filed January 13, 1903. Serial No. 138,930. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES MOLITOR, a citiin a coin-controlled gameapparatus, the object being to provide a device of this characterparticularly adapted for use in stores to increase sales and which isvery simple, cheap, and durable in construction; and it consists in thefeatures of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fullydescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is afront elevation of an apparatus constructed in accordance with myinvention, the front wall of the casing being removed. Fig. 2 is asimilar rear eleva-A tion. Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section on the line 33 of Figs. 1 and 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail sectional views on the line4 4 5 5 of Fig. 3 looking in opposite directions. Fig. 6

is a section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 7. Fig. 7l

is a section on the line 7 7 of Fig. 6.

My said device consists of a standard 1, having a plurality of arms 2,radiating from a common center, at which is a bearing 3, in which ashaft 4 is journaled. Said shaft carries a large spur-gear 5, meshingwith a plurality of spur-pinions 6, mounted on counter-shafts 7,journaled in bearings in the end portions of said arms 2. Saidspur-pinions 6 are loosely mounted on said counter-shafts 7 and eachcarries a spring-actuated pawl 8, engaging a small ratchet-wheel 9,rigidly mounted on each of said shafts, so that each of said pinions isfree to revolve in one direction independently of the shaft on which itis journaled, but in revolving inthe opposite direction causes the shaftto revolve with it. Each of said counter-shafts 7 carries a circulardisk 10 at one end, which is radially divided into eleven segmentaldivisions, each of which is adapted to spur-gear.

register with a similar segmental opening 11 in a star-shaped frame 12,rigidly mounted on said standard 1 concentrically with the bearing 3. Inorder to cause each of said countershafts 7 to come to a standstill, sothat one of the divisions of its disk 10 will register with the saidopening 11 of the frame 12,I provide a starshaped wheel 13 adjacent theratchet-wheel 9, having eleven points or teeth and which is engaged by aspring-actuated dog 14, having a V-shaped projection adapted to enterthe recesses between the points or teeth of said wheel and cause thelatter to stop at predetermined points in its revolution, as will beobvious. In order to accomplish this, it is necessary to provide for aslight reverse motion of said counter-shafts 7. This is done by leavingconsiderable play room between the teeth of the spurgear and those ofthe pinions, the teeth of the latter being very much smaller than andlying loosely in the recesses between the teeth of the The shaft 4 isfurther supported by an inverted-V-shaped bracket 15, in which it isjournaled, said bracket 15 being secured at its lower end to two studsor projections onV At its rear the rear face of said standard 1. endsaid shaft carries a collar 16, having two arms 17 and 18, said arm 17being connected at its outer end with one end of a spring 19,V

connected at its other end with the base of the standard 1. i The saidspring serves to normally hold said shaft 4 in a given position and toreturn it to said position when revolved against theaction of saidspring. The said arm 18 is connected by means of a link 20 with an arm21 of a shaft 22, journaled in a bearing 23 on the lower end of saidstandard. The said shaft 22 carries a ratchet-wheel 24, having anenlarged hub 25,provided with a groove 26, and also carries an arm 27,projecting over said groove 26 in said hub, the coin controlling saidmechanism being adapted to enter said groove 26 and rest against saidarm 27 said coin being introduced through aslot 28 in the casing 29.Loosely mounted on said shaft 22 is a disk 30, having an elongated hubor sleeve 31 passing through the casing and carrying a lever 32 at itsouter end. Said disk 30 is provided with a crank-pin 33, projecting overthe hub 25 and so located as to enable it IOO to pass freely belowl thearm 27 of the ratchetwheel 24, so that before a coin is introduced saiddisk 30 can be turned without turningV otally secured to the base ofsaid standard 1 and held in engagement with said ratchetwheel 24 bymeans of a spring 37. The said arm 34 is enlarged adjacent the peripheryof said disk 30 to form an inclined face 38, which by engagement withsaid arm 35 of said dog forces' the latter out of engagement with saidratchet-wheel 24 and leaves the latter free to revolve. The said disk 30is normally held in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 7 by means of a`tension-spring 39, secured at one end to one wall of the casing 29, sothat the arm 34 engages the said arm 35 to normally hold said dog 36 outof engagement with said ratchet-wheel 24.

The operation of my device is as follows: A coin is introduced into theslot 28 of the casing 29 and enters the groove 26 in the hub 25 of theratchet-wheel 24 and lies between the arm 27 of the latter and thecrank-pin 33 of the disk 30. By then turning the lever 32 the shaft 22is obviously revolved, and through the medium of the connection betweenthe arm 21 thereof and the arm 18 of the shaft 4 the spur-gear 5 isrevolved against the action of the spring 19. The spur-pinions 6 arethus also revolved in the direction in which they are free to do so, thecounter-shafts 7 on which said spur-pinions are mounted remaining inert.As soon as said disk 30 begins to revolve the dog 36 is released andsprings into engagement with the ratchet-wheel. The lever 32 is turnedto the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, which is determined bya stop on the casing 29, and by then releasing same the coin will fallout, the disk 30 will spring back to the position shown in full lines,Fig. 1, and the arm 34 thereof will throw the dog 36 out of engagementwith the ratchet-wheel 24. The latter is thus released and it and saidspurgear and spur-pinions are revolved in the reverse direction by meansof the spring 19 and returned to the position shown in full lines inFig. 2. By the engagement of the springpawls 8 with the ratchets 9 thecounter-shafts 7 are rapidly revolved, and by the impetus given samecontinue to revolve after the spurgears have stopped, gradually comingto a standstill. The dogs 14 cause each of the counter-shafts 7 to cometo a standstill, so that one of the divisions of the disk carriedthereby registers with the opening 11 in the frame 12. When all of saidshafts have come to a standstill, the numerals appearingA in eachopening of the frame 12 are added or the combinations formed are noted,certain sums or combinations entitling the operator to certain benets.

In order to insure irregular ,revolution of the disks, I vary the numberof teeth on different spur-pinions, thereby causing some of said disksto revolve more rapidly than others.

In order to prevent a second coin from en- 'tering until the first coininserted has been used, I provide a guard-plate 40 on the disk 30, whichcloses the delivery end of the slot 28 when said disk is turned and uponwhich a second coin would rest until the rst is released and said disk30 and ratchet-wheel 24 resume their original positions,which is almostinstantaneously after releasing the lever 32.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a coin-controlled game apparatus, thecombination with two relatively movable members adapted to beinterlocked by means of a coin, of a rotating member actuated to revolvein one direction by means of a spring, connection between said rotatingmember and one of said interlocking members to rotate said memberagainst the action of said spring, a plurality of disks rotatablymounted on the frame of the machine, gearing between said disks and saidrotating member, and clutch devices interposed in said gearing to causesaid disks to be rotated by the motion of said rotating member in onedirection, substantially as described. f

2. In a coin-controlled game apparatus, the combination with a spur gearrevolubly mounted on the frame of the machine, connection between said*spur-gear and a spring for normally holding said spur-gear in a givenposition, a plurality of disks revolubly mounted on said frame, gearingbetween said disks and said spur-gear, clutch devices interposed in saidgearing to cause said disks to be revolved in unison with said spur-gearin one direction only, stop mechanism interposed in said gearing tocause said disks to stop in predetermined positions, a shaft journaledin the frame of said machine connection between said shaft and saidspur-gear, coin-receiving devices on said shaft, and devices f orengaging said coin and thereby rotating said shaft and said spur-gearagainst the action of the spring controlling the latter, substantiallyas described.

3. In a coin-controlled game apparatus, the combination with a spur gearrevolubly mounted on the frame of the machine, connection between saidspur-gear and a spring for normally holding said spur-gear in a givenposition, a plurality of disks revolubly mounted on said frame, gearingbetween said disks and said spur-gear, clutch devices interposed in saidgearing to cause said disks to be revolved in unison with said spur-gearin one direction only, stop mechanism interposed in said gearing tocause said disks to stop in predetermined positions, a shaft journaledin the frame of said machine connection between said IOO IIO

shaft and said spur-gear, coin-receiving devices on said shaft,arevoluble member loosely mounted on said shaft, and devices carriedthereby adapted to engage said coin to rotate said shaft in unison withsaid revoluble member,whereby said spur-gear is revolved against theaction of said spring, substantially as described.

4. In a coin-controlled game apparatus, the combination with a spur gearrevolubly mounted on the frame of the machine, connection between saidspur-gear and a spring for normally holding said spur-gear in a givenposition,a plurality of disks revolubly mounted on said frame, gearingbetween said disks and said spur-gear, clutch devices interposed in saidgearing to cause said disks to be revolved in unison with said spur-gearin one direction only, stop mechanism interposed in said gearing tocause said disks to stop in predetermined positions, a shaft journaledin the frame of said machine connection between said shaft and saidspur-gear, coin-receiving devices on said shaft, a spring-actuatedrevoluble member loosely mounted on said shaft and carrying devicesadapted to engage the received coin to rotate said shaft,a ratchet-wheelon said shaft, a spring-actuated dog engaging same, and devices on saidrevoluble member adapted to engage said dog to throw the same out ofengagement with said ratchet-wheel and release said shaft when saidrevoluble member is released, whereby said spur-gear and said shaft willbe returned to their normal positions by the spring connected with saidspurgear and saidV disks Will be revolved, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES MOLITOR.

Witnesses:

RUDOLPH WM. LoTZ, WM. B. SNoWHooK.

